Much of what we see going on around us was going on in John’s day.  It’s a huge part of why John is writing this Gospel account.

In 20:31 John writes:  “these are written” John’s strategically selected events from Jesus’ ministry - “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”

Last week at VBS - God’s truth was a significant part of what we focused on.  John is putting out the truth of Who Jesus is.  Why we believe what we believe.  Jesus is THE Christ - the Savior - THE Son of God - meaning God Himself - Who has come to save us.

“and that by believing you may have life in His name.”  When it comes down to it what difference does knowing all that truth about Jesus actually make in the day-to-day of how we’re living our lives?

“Life in His name” isn’t about us being able to win arguments with people who don’t yet know Jesus.  Going after people with other beliefs and beating them over the head with the Bible.  “Life in His name” isn’t about our knowing the right do’s and don’ts and then trying harder to live the Christian life by our own whit, wisdom, and working.

What we believe is the truth that our faith rests on.  Believing that means that “life in His name” is “life in His name” not ours.  Our learning to live by totally trusting God with every part of our lives - with every part of who we are - totally surrendering and submitting ourselves to God so that the life we live really isn’t ours but actually Jesus’ life being lived out in us by the enabling and transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Which is hugely freeing.  That takes a ton of weight of our shoulders.  Our trying to live righteous.  And really is the life that God desires for us to live.  The life that God blesses.  Uses to bring others to Him.  Uses to bring glory to Himself.

This morning we’re coming to the next event in John’s unfolding of what we believe and what that means for us.  What is a familiar event - recorded for us here in chapter 2:1-12.  What takes place at a wedding in the town of Cana.

How many of you have heard a teaching on this event before?  Okay.  We’ll then I guess we can all go home.  No!  Wait!  We prayed and asked God to teach us and grow us from His word.  There is a reason why God in His sovereignty has us here this morning looking at these verses.  “God, help us to stay focused and open to you and not drift off assuming we’ve already got this.”

We’re together?

John 2 - verse 1 - let’s read this out loud together:  On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Jesus was also invited to the wedding with His disciples.  When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have not wine.”  And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Let’s pause and go back and do some unpacking.

“On the third day” connects what happens in chapter two with a sequence of days that we looked at back in chapter one.  All of what took place at the Jordan River where John the Baptist was… baptizing.

Day one - a delegation arrives from Jerusalem to question John about his authority to teach and baptize.  John uses their questions as an opportunity to testify about Jesus.  Day two - John points out Jesus to the crowd.  Day three - Jesus calls disciples.  Day four - Jesus calls more disciples and makes the decision for them to go to Galilee.

Looking at the map - on day four Jesus is down at the bottom there by the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.  The place where John the Baptist has been… baptizing.  Cana is about 60 plus miles north of there.  About a 2 1/2 days journey.  Meaning three days later Jesus and the disciples are up in Cana. 

So, on the third day - after heading north - they arrive at this wedding at Cana in the region of Galilee - which is near the Sea of… Galilee.  When Jesus and the disciples - who apparently have been invited - when they  show up apparently the wedding has been going on long enough for the hosts to run out of wine.

Timing is everything.  Never random with the sovereign God.

Notice that Mary - the mother of Jesus - is already at the wedding.  Its Mary who points out to Jesus that the wine has run out.  And down in verse 5 its Mary who gives instructions to the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.  And they do it.  That gives us a clue that Mary is probably connected with the wedding.

Cana is about 9 miles north of Nazareth.  Which is where Mary is from.  Where Jesus grew up.  Probably Mary is a relative.  Maybe a close relative.  Probably someone connected with making the whole wedding and celebration thing happen.  Which means that Jesus is also a relative.  This is family were talking about here.

Mary’s statement about them running out of wine is more than just a informative.  “Gee, it looks like they’re out of wine.” 

If the hosts run out of wine - which would be a huge shameful social disgrace that would never be forgotten - that would haunt this newly married couple for the rest of their lives.  Mary and Jesus’ reputations - as family - they’re reputations are on the line as well as the hosts.  In the culture of the day, this is very serious.

Weddings back then were a whole lot different that most of what most of us experience around here.  Marriages back then were arranged by parents through a well worked out set of rituals - a contract was agreed upon. 

Which has value.  I’ve known people whose marriages were arranged by their parents and they were doing just fine.  There’s a whole lot more seriousness and understanding as to what marriage is in all that - than the go out on a date - hook up - fall in lust - fall in bed - live together - maybe get married - and when you don’t meet my needs I’m out of here - leaving behind a messed up kid in the wake of the train wreck - dysfunctional thing people call marriage today.

In those days - and in some cultures today - marriage was a serious well planned out undertaking.  The whole community actually cared about what happened to this couple.  

An agreement was arrived at following time honored cultural norms.  Vows were exchanged in the synagogue.  Tokens were exchanged.  Then the couple returned to their own homes.  Even though they were considered legally married - they lived separate - celibate - during the engagement.  An engagement that could last anywhere from a couple of months to a year.

At the end of the engagement period - at night - the groom takes to the streets with his friends in a torch-light procession from his house to the bride’s home.  The whole town turns out singing and celebrating.  The bride is gotten.  The wedding is performed.  Speeches are made.  Someplace in there the groom takes his bride home.  The town celebrates.  Sometimes for a least a week.  Party on.

The groom’s family was expected to provide for that celebration - the food - the refreshments.  A never forgotten disgrace if they didn’t.  There’s even the possibility of legal action against the family if they don’t honor their obligation to the town.   

Mary’s letting Jesus know about the situation is really a request for Jesus to do something about the situation.  “Jesus, you need to do something”  is a very understandable and reasonable request.

Jesus responds to Mary, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come.”

“Woman” - in the culture of first-century Galilee - was actually a very polite - respectful - honoring way of addressing a woman.  Kind of like “Madam” or “Ma’am” today.  Today, probably not a good thing for us husbands to call their wives… “Woman.”  If you don’t believe me go home and try it.

That was in the first-century.  Jesus was being very respectful of His mother.  Same title Jesus used on the cross when He provided for Mary’s future with John, “Woman, behold your son.”  (John 19:26)

“What does this have to do with Me?” is a good translation of an expression they used back then that means something like:  “What does this have to do with Me?”  In other words, Jesus is helping Mary to understand that her view of Jesus’ role in all this is not the role that Mary thinks Jesus’ role is suppose to be in all this.

Which is behind Jesus’ statement:  “My hour has not yet come.” 

What hour?  Reading through John - the “hour” is always a reference to the time of Jesus’ glorification - what takes place after His resurrection and not before.

In the culture of the day - the whole year long celibate engagement process - Mary engaged to Joseph - with Mary coming up pregnant and Joseph thinking to quietly put her away - for years - decades - she’s endured scorn and ridicule.

Mary knew before anyone knew that her son is the Messiah.  For decades she’s waited for the moment when all that would be brought into the open with absolute certainty and clarity.  She may be thinking that this is the time.  But God doesn’t always do things the way we think He should.  Have you noticed that?

Jesus’ hour - His glory is going to be revealed as a result of His death and resurrection.  His glorification is going to come from God - not a bunch of snockered people at a party.  Its going to happen on God’s timetable not Mary’s.  Jesus’ response is about Him graciously taking care of the situation but that what’s going to happen here is not some dazzling show of divine messianic resurrection power. 

Let’s hold on to that.  Mary may not have understood all of what was going on here.  But Jesus did.  Jesus knows His destiny.  He’s in charge of what’s happening.

Let’s read on together at verse 6:  Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.  Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.”  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.”  So they took it.

Let’s pause there and grab some quick background.   Ever see those signs, “Employees must wash hands before returning to work”?

The six stone jars were there for the Jewish rites of what?  Purification.  Which is all about washing hands.  Ritual - ceremonial - purification.  The expectation that people washed their hands before eating.

Doing the math - six stone jars of about 25 gallons each comes out to 150 gallons of water.  Lots of guests.  The whole town.  There’s a need for a lot of water. 

Notice also the simplicity of Jesus giving instructions to the servants.  Just a simple 3 step operation.  Fill.  Draw.  Take.

Let’s go on reading - verse 9:    When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine.  But you have kept the good wine until now.”

There’s a really old joke about the man who got pulled over because he was weaving down the road.  Heard this?  The police officer confronted the driver about his being drunk.  Which the man denied - claiming that the 5 bottles on the passenger seat - 2 being empty - the other 3 were only filled with water.  But on examining the bottles they were found to be full of wine.

To which the drunk driver said, “Praise the Lord!  He’s done it again!”

Old joke.  Obligatory groan.  Thank you.

We’re so used to hearing this that its almost become like watching someone pull a rabbit out of hat.  Turning water into wine is almost a cliché.  Right?

Same was true in Jesus’ day.  A good conjurer in a pagan temple would use a special pitcher with a hidden chamber to create the illusion of pouring either water or wine from the same pitcher.  In a sense, what Jesus did here could have been taken for a cliché cheap party trick.

Are we together in that the way Jesus does this leaves absolutely no doubt that what Jesus does is supernatural?  There’s no room for tricks or doubt in the way Jesus does this.

Jesus never touches the jars.  Jesus never touches the water.  He never touches or tests what comes out of the jars.  He may not have even been in the same room with the jars.

There’s no hocus-pocus mumbo jumbo incantations or waving a wand over the jars.  No jumping up and down or contortions or binding Satan or laying hands on the jars.  Not even a prayer.  

 
Jesus just calmly gives simple instructions that the servants follow through on.  Somewhere between the filling and the drawing and the taking the supernatural transformation takes place.

Some people today who have problems with Jesus doing miracles - some people today have speculated that maybe there was some wine residue in the jars.  Maybe some left over wine in the bottom of the jar or clinging to the sides.  So the water that got poured in mixed with that residue and produced wine tasting water.  So this really wasn’t a supernatural transformation.

But these are water jars were used for what?  Ritual cleansing.  They don’t get used for wine.  So, no residue permitted.  The wine that the master of the feast tastes is cheap watered down wine.  Right?  No.  It’s the good stuff.

We get this.  Right?  Serve the good stuff first.  Then after everyone is bombed serve the cheap stuff and nobody will know the difference - except the people in charge who have to stay sober.  The master of the feast is impressed because “You’ve kept the good wine until now.”

Which means what’s coming out of the jars is not mixed with wine water residue but real wine.  The real force of this miracle is the fact that this really is good wine.  Meaning a supernatural transformation and not some cheap party trick - Jesus trying to pull a fast one on the wedding guests. 

Notice also that Jesus works this miracle from behind the scenes.  The provision of wine was abundant - probably something like 2,400 plus cups of wine.  Adequate for the needs of the feast.  The quality of provision was excellent.  It’s the good stuff.

All that gets served to the guests who - it seems - they had no clue about any of this going on.  Supernaturally produced wine tastes like... wine.  Especially if you’re snockered.  Even the master of the feast didn’t know what had gone on.  Even the bridegroom appears confused.

It appears that the only people who knew what had happened were the servants and Mary and the disciples.  Meaning that what Jesus does is a behind the scenes act of love for His family and friends.  He’s dealing with this situation in a way that’s honoring Mary, that lovingly cares for the need of the moment, and is in accord with the Father’s will for His life.

Coming to verses 11 and 12.  Let’s read these together:  This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory.  And His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, with His mother and His brothers and His disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. 

Briefly, let’s look at verse 12. 

Notice that Joseph - Mary’s husband - is not mentioned.  After Jesus’ twelfth year - His being in the Temple - Joseph is never mentioned in any account after that.  The understanding it that Joseph is dead at this point.

Notice that Jesus has brothers.  These are Jesus’ half-brothers.  Joseph and Mary had other children after Jesus was born.  Same mother as Jesus.  Different Father.  With the death of Joseph, probably, Mary is living with one of Jesus’ half-brothers.

Looking at the map.  Capernaum is about 18 miles northeast of Cana.  After the wedding feast in Cana Jesus, Mary, His brothers, the disciples - they head up to Capernaum for a few days of what probably was a very enjoyable family reunion.

Verse 12 ties what happens at Cana into what comes next in these sequence of days.  Meaning that this all really did happen in a real place in real time.  Jesus doing the supernatural is not a spiritual myth.  Some people would say that.  And they’d be wrong.  Which is John’s point.  This is the truth of Who Jesus is.  Why we believe what we believe.

Verse 11 is John’s application point.  What difference what believe should make in our lives.

Let’s look again at verse 11.  Notice three facts that call for our attention.

First:  John says that the miracle was a sign.

Quick quiz.  What do all these signs have in common?  They’re signs.  They’re British.  They’re in English.  And they all… point at something.

John purposely calls this water to wine transformation a “sign.”  “Miracle” is a different word in Greek.  John - as he’s written his Gospel - John describes the miracles of Jesus as signs.  The first miracle - the first sign is here in Cana.

Signs are like real time parables.  They have meaning - purpose.  They point to something that John - that God - wants us to see - to understand.

C.S. Lewis, in his book “Miracles” - Lewis points out that every miracle of Jesus is simply a kind of short-circuiting of the natural process - a doing instantly what generally would take a longer time to do.

Jesus isn’t performing cheap parlor tricks.  Jesus is purposefully jumping past the natural elements of time and growth and gathering and crushing and fermenting.  Jesus is taking water - an inorganic non-living commonplace substance - and with no fanfare - just simple instruction - that water becomes wine - an organic liquid - the product of fermentation - what belongs to the realm of life.  There’s purpose in that. 

Lewis - in his book “Miracles” Lewis writes:  “Each miracle writes for us in small letters something that God has already written, or will write, in letters almost too large to be noticed, across the whole canvas of Nature.” (1)

John - calling this a sign - wants to make sure we don’t miss what Jesus - what God is wanting us to understand about Jesus.

Which brings us to John’s second fact - what the sign points to.  The sign “manifested His glory.”  It clarifies - makes visible in real time - Who Jesus is.

Lewis - again from his book “Miracles” - Lewis writes:  “If we open such books as Grimm’s Fairy Tales or Ovid’s Metamorphoses or the Italian epics we find ourselves in a world of miracles so diverse that they can hardly be classified.  Beasts turn into men and men into beasts or trees, trees talk, ships become goddesses, and a magic ring can cause tables richly spread with food to appear in solitary places… 

Almost sounds like Disney.  Doesn’t it?

Lewis goes on:  If such things really happened they would, I suppose, show that Nature was being invaded.  But they would show that she was being invaded by an alien power.  The fitness of the Christian miracles, and their difference from these mythological miracles, lies in the fact that they show invasion by a Power which is not alien.  They are what might be expected to happen when she is invaded not simply by a god, but by the God of Nature:  by a Power which is outside her jurisdiction not as a foreigner but as a sovereign.  They proclaim that He who has come is not merely a king, but the King, her King and ours.” (2)

What Lewis is getting at is what this sign is pointing at.

Water turning into wine happens all the time around us.  Ask the people at Gallo just down the street.  Their whole business is based on that natural process happening.

Rain happens.  Or at least it used to.  Plants drink in that water along with other stuff in the soil.  There’s a process that takes place that turns that into fruit.  Grapes that get picked.  Fermented.  And poof “wine.”

What we sometimes loose sight of is that its God Who has written that process into the way that nature works.  The process happens because God has created it - has designed it - to happen that way.  The process happens because God sustains what needs to be sustained in order to make that process keep happening. 

Maybe we can go out in the fields outside of town here.  And look at all the stuff that’s growing - or trying to.  Or go up in the hills and look at an oak tree or a redwood tree - maybe up in Yosemite.  How many people will do that and say, “What an amazing thing Nature is.”  Which it is.  But then how many will say, “Look at what nature has done.”  

There’s difference.  Yes?  A Redwood tree - or grape vine - that’s is nature - a part of nature.  But to say that nature made it is saying that the tree made itself.  Which is foolishness.

Someone once said that “Nature is the glove on the hand of God.”

I have these really thick leather gloves that I use when I’m pruning the rose bushes in the back yard because I don’t like pain.  We get this.  Right?  Its not the glove that’s doing the pruning.  It’s the hand inside the glove - and attached to that hand is an arm attached to a head and heart.  That’s what did the pruning.

That’s what we should be saying about nature when we see all that happening around us.  Behind all that is the mighty hand - and arm and  mind and heart - of the sovereign God - the God of nature - THE King of nature.

The sign manifests - clarifies - Who Jesus is.

On that third day - in this little town of Cana - up in Galilee - the God of nature - with dignity and confidence - took some water - and purposefully and quickly - ran it through its natural course and it became wine.

The third fact that John brings out is that “His disciples believed in Him.”

Which may seem kind of strange.  At this point there are five disciples who’ve followed Jesus up from the south to Cana.  Back down south Andrew had called Jesus the Messiah.  Philip identified Jesus as the One that Moses and the prophets said would come.  Nathanael called Jesus the King of Israel and the Son of God - meaning God Himself.  Simon is okay with Jesus’ authority to change his name to Peter.  John is writing this Gospel.  And now suddenly they believe?

As we go along in our lives following after Jesus we come to moments of greater understanding - of greater clarity - of what it means to follow Jesus.  Yes?  Seasons of deepening growth and application.  Times of recommitment and renewed dedication to God’s will for our lives.

That seems to be what John is describing here.  The disciples seeing the sign and coming to a deepening understanding of Who Jesus is.  A greater belief - an increased commitment of their lives to follow Jesus. 

Back in 1:14 John has already told us what the glory of Jesus is.  Jesus is “full of grace and truth.”  Here - in this sign - we see both His grace and truth clarified for us.  What the sign points to is the truth of Who Jesus is.  And the meaning of the sign is the grace of how the Sovereign God responds to those in need.

What the disciples saw that brought them to believe even more in Jesus was the One who could take a commonplace - ordinary - thing - simple lifeless water - and transform that into wine - transforming the lifeless into a object of joy and celebration testifying of God’s glory.

Men can fill water jars.  Only God can turn water into wine.  We all can do the ordinary human stuff of life.  But when God touches our lives He brings us to life - real life in Jesus.  He gives to our lives fragrance and flavor and meaning and purpose.  God is the one Who transforms us - saving us - forgiving us - binding up our wounds and healing us and using us beyond what we’re capable of in and of ourselves - for the purposes of God Himself (imagine that!) all to the glory of God.

That’s the - what difference does it makes part - of what this sign is pointing to.  What that will be like when the grace of the sovereign God touches a human life - not only back then - but today - and forever.  That Jesus can transform water into wine is only a foretaste - pun intended - a foretaste of what He will graciously do in our lives if we will believe - meaning trust Him with our lives and let Him do His work of gracious transformation.

In whatever situation we find ourselves - the common issues of ordinary humanity that we all deal with - how we think about ourselves - our very relationship and usefulness to God - the meaning and purpose of our lives - whether you’re down south and just beginning to follow or up in Cana or Capernaum - a little farther along in the journey - God desires to do in you and through you what is way beyond whatever you may imagine for yourself.

Question:  What would that be like for you?

Question:  Will you believe in Him and trust Him to do it?

_________________________

1. C.S. Lewis, “Miracles” - Harper Collins edition, 2001, page 219

2. C.S. Lewis, “Miracles” - Harper Collins edition, 2001, page 215

General reference for this message:  “Water to Wine” - sermon shared by Ray Stedman from John 2:1-12, May 1, 1983 

General reference for this series:  Charles R. Swindoll, “Insights On John:  Swindoll’s New Testament Insights,”  Zondervan, 2010

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.